Clare O'Leary (born 1972) is an Irish

gastroenterologist Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...

, mountain climber and adventurer. She was the first Irish woman to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

and complete the

Seven Summits The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven. In January 2023, ''Climbing (magazine), Climbing'' said "Today, t ...

Career

Medicine

O'Leary developed an interest in medicine, and cancer in particular, when her uncle died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

during her childhood. After graduating from

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

, she spent over ten years training and working at the

Cork University Hospital Cork University Hospital () is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork and serves as one of two major trauma centers for Ireland: the other is Mater Misericordiae University ...

. She currently works as a consultant gastroenterologist and general physician at Tipperary University Hospital. She is also a patron of the Cork University Hospital Charity.

Mountaineering and adventure

O'Leary made her name in mountaineering in 2004, when she became the first Irish woman to reach the summit of

, having failed on her first attempt in 2003 due to

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...

. She climbed as a member of the Wyeth Irish Everest Expedition, led by Pat Falvey. She also became the first Irish woman to ascend the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

n peak

Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Eastern Himalayas range of Koshi Province, Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (''ama'') protecting he ...

and to climb the

—the highest mountains on each continent. In 2008, O'Leary joined the Beyond Endurance expedition led by Falvey to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

, making her the first woman to successfully ski to the South Pole. In 2012, O'Leary and Mike O'Shea set out on an ongoing series of expeditions that they called the Ice Project; their aim is to cross all of the world's largest

ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description By definition, ice caps are not constrained by topogra ...

s. Some of these expeditions included crossings of the

Northern Patagonian Ice Field The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, located in southern Chile, is the smaller of two remnant parts in which the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Andes Mountains of southern South America can be divided. It is completely contained within the boundaries ...

, the

Greenland ice sheet The Greenland ice sheet is an ice sheet which forms the second largest body of ice in the world. It is an average of thick and over thick at its maximum. It is almost long in a north–south direction, with a maximum width of at a latitude ...

, and

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblasts of Russia, Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

. In 2014, they plan to attempt to ski to the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

after their 2012 North Pole trek was cancelled due to a logistics problem; this attempt will be O'Leary's fourth and O'Shea's second. They hope to be the first Irish people to reach the North Pole. A successful trip to the North Pole would also make O'Leary the second woman to climb the Seven Summits and reach both poles. In 2013, the railway path between Bandon and

Innishannon Innishannon or Inishannon () is a large village on the main Cork (city), Cork–Bandon, County Cork, Bandon road (N71 road (Ireland), N71) in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on the River Bandon, the village has grown d ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

was named the Dr Clare O'Leary Walk to commemorate her achievements. In December 2020, O'Leary was awarded the Mountaineering Ireland Lyman Medal in recognition of her mountaineering and exploration achievements.

Personal life

O'Leary lives in

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

, and is in a relationship with Mike O'Shea, with whom she frequently partners for her expeditions.

References

External links

Everest Speakers Bureau - Clare O'LearyThe Ice Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Clare 1972 births Living people Irish mountain climbers Irish female climbers Summiters of the Seven Summits Female polar explorers Irish women explorers Irish polar explorers 21st-century Irish explorers Irish gastroenterologists 21st-century Irish sportswomen 20th-century Irish women medical doctors 21st-century Irish women medical doctors 20th-century Irish medical doctors 21st-century Irish medical doctors Alumni of University College Cork Irish women medical doctors Sportspeople from Clonmel Medical doctors from County Tipperary